The French Alps are the portions of the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

that stand within

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, located in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (ARA; ; frp, Ôvèrgne-Rôno-Ârpes; oc, Auvèrnhe Ròse Aups; it, Alvernia-Rodano-Alpi) is a region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Au ...

and

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...

regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as the

Mont Blanc massif The Mont Blanc massif (french: Massif du Mont-Blanc; it, Massiccio del Monte Bianco) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major indep ...

, are shared with

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. At , Mont Blanc (Italian: ''Monte Bianco''), on the France–Italy border, is the highest mountain in the Alps, and the highest Western European mountain. Notable towns in the French Alps include

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

, Chamonix,

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nickname ...

, Chambéry,

Évian-les-Bains Évian-les-Bains (), or simply Évian ( frp, Èvian, , or ), is a commune in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 9,100. A high-market holida ...

and Albertville.

Ranges and summits

Ski areas

The largest connected ski areas are: # Les Trois Vallées ( Courchevel, Méribel,

La Tania La Tania is a ski resort in the Courchevel area of Les Trois Vallees at 1400m above sea level. It was developed for the Albertville Olympics of 1992 and is approximately a 25 minutes drive from Moûtiers Moûtiers (; Arpitan: ''Motiérs'') ...

Brides-les-Bains Brides-les-Bains () is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It was an Olympic Village for the 1992 Winter Olympics, based in Albertville, France. There is easy accessibility via Euro ...

Saint-Martin-de-Belleville Saint-Martin-de-Belleville is a former commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Les Belleville. Saint-Martin-de-Belleville is home t ...

Les Menuires Les Menuires () is a ski resort in the Belleville valley of Les Trois Vallées between Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Val Thorens. Owned and operated by Compagnie des Alpes, it is in the Savoie ''département'' of France. The resort has 48 res ...

, Val Thorens and Orelle): 338 slopes, 600 km of

piste A ''piste'' () is a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snow skiing, snowboarding, or other mountain sports. This European term is French

s. #

Portes du Soleil Les Portes du Soleil (literally "The Doors of the Sun") is a major skisports destination in the Alps, encompassing thirteen resorts between Mont Blanc in France and Lake Geneva in Switzerland. With more than 650 km of marked pistes (claimed ...

(

Avoriaz Avoriaz (, ) is a French mountain resort in the heart of the Portes du Soleil. It is located in the territory of the commune of Morzine. It is easily accessible from either Thonon at Lake Geneva or Cluses station on the A40 motorway between Gen ...

, Châtel, Morzine, Les Gets, Saint-Jean d'Aulps, La Chapelle d'Abondance, Abondance, Montriond, Swiss resorts): 288 slopes, 650 km of slopes not entirely connected. # Paradiski (

La Plagne La Plagne () is a French ski area in the alpine valley of the Tarentaise (Savoie). Since 2003, La Plagne and the neighbouring resort of Les Arcs form Paradiski's ski area. It is currently owned by Compagnie des Alpes. In 2014, La Plagne wa ...

, Peisey-Vallandry,

Les Arcs Les Arcs () is a ski resort located in Savoie, France, in the Tarentaise Valley town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Initially created by Robert Blanc and Roger Godino, it is a part of the huge Paradiski system which is under ownership by Compagnie de ...

), Champagny-en-Vanoise: 239 slopes, 420 km of slopes. # Via Lattea ( Montgenèvre, Italian resorts): 214 slopes, 400 km of slopes. # Évasion Mont-Blanc ( Combloux, Megève, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Nicolas-de-Véroce, Les Contamines Monjoie): 183 slopes, 420 km of slopes not entirely connected. #

Espace Killy Espace may refer to: * ESPACE, a complexity class in computational complexity theory * Espace musique, a Canadian radio service *Espace 2, a Swiss radio station *Radio Espace, a French radio station *Espace Group, a French media company *Group Espa ...

( Tignes,

Val-d'Isère Val-d'Isère (, literally ''Valley of Isère'') is a commune of the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region) in southeastern France. It lies from the border with Italy. It is on the border of the Vanoise Nat ...

): 137 slopes, 300 km of slopes. # Grand Massif ( Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns, Sixt): 134 slopes, 265 km of slopes. # Les Aravis ( La Clusaz,

Manigod Manigod (; frp, Manegôd) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Eastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 998. Geography The linked area of Manigod consists of several different ski areas: La ...

, La Croix Fry, Merdassier, Le Grand-Bornand): 133 slopes, 220 km of slopes not entirely connected. # Les Grandes Rousses (L'

Alpe d'Huez L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Western Alps, in the commune of Huez, which is part of the department of Isère in the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is part of ...

Vaujany Vaujany () is a commune in the canton of Oisans-Romanche, in the Isère department in southeastern France. The village is picturesque, with excellent views of the Grand Galbert mountain at the head of the valley. Population Economy The hydroe ...

, Auris-en-Oisans, Oz-en-Oisans,

Villard-Reculas Villard-Reculas is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department The following is a list of the 512 communes in the French department of Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Is ...

): 117 slopes, 236 km of slopes. # Serre Chevalier: 111 slopes, 250 km of slopes. # La Forêt Blanche ( Risoul, Vars): 104 slopes, 180 km of slopes. # Les Sybelles ( Le Corbier, La Toussuire, Les Bottières,

Saint-Jean-d'Arves Saint-Jean-d'Arves (; frp, Sant-Jian-d’Ârva) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a ski resort, part of the larger Les Sybelles ski area. See also *Communes of the Savoie d ...

Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves Saint-Sorlin-d'Arves (; frp, Sïn Sorlïn) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.Saint-Colomban-des-Villards): 96 slopes, 310 km of slopes. #

Valloire Valloire (; frp, Valouère, ) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. The ski resort Valloire-Galibier is located in the commune, at the foot of the Col du Télégraphe and next to t ...

and

Valmeinier Valmeinier (; frp, Vàrmêniél) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. Valmeinier, located at the foot of the Mont Thabor, 3207 meters, is a medium size ski resort (about 10,000 b ...

: 83 slopes, 150 km of slopes. # Grand Domaine ( Valmorel, Saint-François-Longchamp): 82 slopes, 150 km of slopes # Espace San Bernardo ( La Rosière,

La Thuile LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

- Italy): 73 slopes, 150 km of slopes. #

Les Deux Alpes Les 2 Alpes () is a ski resort in the French ''department'' of Isère, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The village sits at and lifts run to . It has the largest skiable glacier in Europe and is France's second oldest ski resort behind Chamonix. It h ...

and

La Grave La Grave (; oc, La Grava) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France. It is a small ski resort in the French Alps, dominated by La Meije (3982 m). It was the birthplace of Nicolas de Nicolay; adventurer and Geog ...

: 69 slopes, 220 km of slopes. (+ Freeride Zone) The other large ski areas are: * Le Val d'Arly (

Praz-sur-Arly Praz-sur-Arly (, literally ''Praz on Arly''; frp, Le Prâ) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is part of the urban area of Sallanches.Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe (; frp, Bèlakonba) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical c ...

, Flumet): 150 km of slopes. * L'Espace Cristal ( Les Saisies, Crest-Voland): 80 km of slopes * L'Espace Diamant is a combination of Espace Val d'Arly and Espace Cristal with 185 km of slopes * Villard-de-Lans et

Corrençon-en-Vercors Corrençon-en-Vercors (, literally ''Corrençon in Vercors'') is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department *Parc naturel régional du Vercors The Vercors Regional N ...

: 125 km of slopes * Valberg - Beuil les Launes: 90 km of slopes * Espace Lumière ( Pra-Loup, Val d'Allos): 170 km of slopes * Superdévoluy - La Joue du Loup: 100 km of slopes *

Orcières-Merlette Orcières-Merlette, also known as Orcières Merlette 1850, is a ski resort near to Orcières, Hautes-Alpes, in the French Alps. It has been a summit finish for Tour de France stages on multiple occasions, most notably in 1971, when Luis O ...

150 km of slopes

Activities

A range of winter and summer activities are available in the French Alps. In the winter, these include skiing and snowboarding as well as alternatives such as snowshoeing, sledging. There is a range of other activities that happen such as gliding which most happens during the summer months. Summer activities include hiking, mountaineering, biking and rock climbing.

Gallery

Image:Mont Blanc oct 2004.JPG, Mont Blanc (4,810 m) Image:Aiguille du Dru 3.jpg,

Aiguille du Dru The Aiguille du Dru (also the Dru or the Drus; French, Les Drus) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It is situated to the east of the village of Les Praz in the Chamonix valley. "Aiguille" means "needle" in French. Th ...

(3,754 m) Image:Aiguille Verte ateabutnoe2.jpg, Aiguille Verte (4,122 m) Image:Mer de Glace, Aiguille du Géant et Grandes Jorasses.jpg, Mer de Glace, Dent du Géant (4,013 m) and

Grandes Jorasses The Grandes Jorasses (4,208 m; 13,806 ft) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif, on the boundary between Haute-Savoie in France and Aosta Valley in Italy. The first ascent of the highest peak of the mountain (''Pointe Walker'') was by ...

(4,208 m) in Chamonix (c. 1890) Image:00 Saint-Gervais-les-Bains - TMB - JPG2.jpg, Tramway du Mont-Blanc, at Bellevue Station (1,794 m) in

Saint-Gervais-les-Bains Saint-Gervais-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, southeastern France. The village is best known for tourism and has been a popular holiday destination since the early 1900s. It has of ...

Image:00 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc - JPG1.jpg,

Jacques Balmat Jacques Balmat (), called ''Balmat du Mont Blanc'' (1762–1834) was a mountaineer, a Savoyard mountain guide, born in the Chamonix valley in Savoy, at this time part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Description A chamois hunter and collector of cr ...

at the side of Horace-Benedict de Saussure, "The Father of Alpinism", in a monument erected at Chamonix Image:Grand Capucin, 2010 July.JPG, Grand Capucin (3,838 m) and its 400-meter vertical face Image:Vanoise.jpg, Vanoise National Park Image:Olan Ecrins National Park.jpg,

Écrins National Park Écrins National Park (french: parc national des Écrins, ; oc, parc Nacional dels Escrinhs) is a French national park located in the southeastern part of France in the Dauphiné Alps south of Grenoble and north of Gap, shared between the d ...

Image:Bouqetin male.jpg,

Alpine ibex The Alpine ibex (''Capra ibex''), also known as the steinbock, bouquetin, or simply ibex, is a species of wild goat that lives in the mountains of the European Alps. It is a sexually dimorphic species: males are larger and carry longer, curved ...

in Aussois,

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population ...

Image:YvoireFlowers.JPG, Chalet in the medieval city of Yvoire Image:Palais de l'Isle - prisons.jpg, Palais de l'Isle in

References

Bibliography

* Raoul Blanchard (1938–1956), ''Les Alpes Occidentales''. Paris: Édition Arthaud. (French) * Roger Frison-Roche (1964), ''Les montagnes de la terre''. Paris: Flammarion. (French) * Sergio Marazzi (2005), ''Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA''. Pavone Canavese (TO): Priuli & Verlucca editori. (Italian) * Sergio Marazzi
''La "Suddivisione orografica internazionale unificata del Sistema Alpino" (SOIUSA)''
- article with maps and illustrations, PDF (Italian) {{Authority control Mountain ranges of the Alps

Mountain ranges of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Mountain ranges of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur